Trump to Continue Obama Order Protecting LGBTQ Federal Workers

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WASHINGTON — An executive order protecting federal employees from anti-LGBTQ discrimination that was signed by President Barack Obama in 2014 will continue to be in effect in President Donald Trump’s administration, the White House announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the White House said that “President Donald J. Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community.”

“The executive order signed in 2014, which protects employees from anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact,” the statement read.

The executive order was signed by Obama in July 2014. It extended protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and was predicated on previous executive orders under Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton that created additional protected classes.

“Donald Trump campaigned promising to be a ‘real friend’ to the LGBT community, and now President Trump is delivering on that commitment,” said group president Gregory Angelo. “Log Cabin Republicans is proud to have directly lobbied for this important preservation of LGBT equality in the federal workforce.”

While Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of several large LGBT organizations, Trump attracted attention for being the first the Republican presidential nominee to specifically mention the gay community in his party acceptance speech.